I was a bit shocked by this story which appeared in Deutsche Welle on Boxing Day. But having been to Christmas Eucharist at a Norfolk village church the day before, with a congregation of only 7, 4 of whom were a family who arrived late and clearly weren’t regulars, I can see the writing on the wall.
The number of church members in Germany is falling rapidly. In 2024 alone, the two major churches – the Catholics and Protestants – lost over a million Christians between them, through people leaving the church or dying. Currently, more than 45% of Germans still belong to one or other of these churches: 30 years ago, that figure stood at almost 69%.
So churches are closing – hundreds of them since 2000.
In response to a DW inquiry, the German Bishops’ Conference confirmed the closing and decommissioning of 611 Catholic churches between 2000 and 2024. The Protestant Church estimates that some 300 to 350 churches closed at the same time.
And what happens to former church buildings? In some cities, growing Orthodox Christian congregations have taken over church buildings. But that’s the exception. They are often sold…. or demolished.
But the article gives examples of some that are repurposed. In Jülich, a town between Cologne and Aachen, the church is used as a bike shop. Thomas Oellers, who moved his business to the former Catholic church building, where he himself was baptised and attended services, told DW that the parish had approached him and asked if he could imagine running his business from there.
In Wettringen, north of Münster, an abbey has become a “soccer church” where footballs are kicked around. In Kleve, the former Protestant Church of the Resurrection serves as a boxing arena. Other churches now house pubs, libraries and book stores, while former convents have become hotel complexes.
Read the full article on Deutsche Welle here.